Effect of chitosan solution on the bacterial septicemia disease of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) caused by Serratia marcescens

Abstract

The in vitro antibacterial properties of chitosan solution and its effect in protecting silkworms from bacterial septicemia disease were evaluated. The results showed that chitosan solution at concentrations of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.10 mg/ml exhibited strong antibacterial activity against two strains of Serratia marcescens. The antibacterial activity of chitosan solution against strain ZJS0801 of S. marcescens increased with the increase of chitosan concentration, while the antibacterial activity against strain ZJS0802 of S. marcescens was unaffected by chitosan concentration. The antibacterial activity of 0.10 mg/ml chitosan solution against S. marcescens increased with the increase of incubation time regardless of the tested strains. The mortality of larvae inoculated with the mixture of S. marcescens ZJS0801 and chitosan solution was significantly reduced compared to bacteria alone. In addition, the larvae mortality of silkworms inoculated with S. marcescens ZJS0801 was significantly reduced when silkworm larvae were fed on mulberry leaves treated with chitosan solution. Overall, the results indicated that chitosan solution had the potential for control of bacterial septicemia disease of silkworms.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Cross-Linked Chitosan-Glutaraldehyde

“…Recently, chitosan, a natural nontoxic biopolymer derived by deacetylation of chitin, a major component of the shells of crustacea such as crab, shrimp, and crawfish, has been applied in the fields of medicine, food, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, nutrition, environmental protection and agriculture [12,13]. In particular, chitosan not only has several advantages over other types of bactericides [14], but also has strong antibacterial activity against a variety of bacteria [15,16,17,18,19,20]. However, unfortunately, in our previous studies, chitosan solution possessed a limited antibacterial activity against Bcc bacteria [4,11].…”

Characterization and comparison of Serratia marcescens isolated from edible cactus and from silkworm for virulence potential and chitosan susceptibility

“…In addition, the abilities of S. marcescens to cause animal and human infections and survive in the environment have been partially attributed to its high natural resistance to antimicrobials and cleaning agents (8). Interestingly, chitosan is been well known for its broad antimicrobial activity (3, 11) and has shown a potential to control bacterial septicemic disease of silkworms caused by S. marcescens (14). Therefore, the bactericidal activity of chitosan against plant associated S. marcescens was examined in this work.…”

Larvae of the parasitoid wasp Ampulex compressa sanitize their host, the American cockroach, with a blend of antimicrobials

“…S. marcescens (Enterobacteriaceae) is a ubiquitous, Gram-negative bacterium and a common colonizer of cockroaches (10)(11)(12)(13). It is responsible for food contamination (26) and causes disease in plants (27), invertebrates (4,26,28), and vertebrates, including humans (29). Most important for this study, S. marcescens has been shown to cause severe septicemia in insect larvae, leading to their rapid death (4,28,30).…”

“…It is responsible for food contamination (26) and causes disease in plants (27), invertebrates (4,26,28), and vertebrates, including humans (29). Most important for this study, S. marcescens has been shown to cause severe septicemia in insect larvae, leading to their rapid death (4,28,30). S. marcescens thus may pose severe threats to the developing A. compressa offspring, which have to defend themselves against this virulent microbe.…”